An apparatus for controlling the access of a user device to an electrical appliance. The apparatus is configured to determine electrical appliance data relating to data communication of the electrical appliance and to determine user device data relating to data communication of the user device. Furthermore, the apparatus is configured to determine, based on the electrical appliance data and on the user device data, whether or not the electrical appliance and the user device are in a common local communication network. The apparatus allows the user device to access the electrical appliance if it is determined that the electrical appliance and the user device are present in a common local communication network.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to prevent an access of the user device to the electrical appliance via a communication network upon establishing that the electrical appliance and the user device are not located in a common local communication network.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the part of the first IP address or the part of the second IP address comprises a public IPv4 address or a prefix of an IPV6 address.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first list and the second list comprises MAC addresses of one or multiple other devices.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a common local communication network is a local area network or a wireless LAN.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
February 18, 2021
December 17, 2024
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